QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

18 years of experience in College Admission Counseling
Former Director and Associate Director of College Counseling
Former Upper School Division Director, Dean of Students, and classroom teacher
Over two decades of experience as a teacher and administrator in selective US independent schools
Presented at multiple national college admission conferences including NACAC and ACCIS (Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools)
Extensive experience working with recruited student athletes
Williams College, B.A.; Harvard University, M.Ed.

It is a privilege to support students and families through a college search and admission process focused on learning, discovery, and growth. It is the emphasis on crafting and supporting such a thoughtful and purposeful search that led me to the College Goals team.

At its heart, the college admission process can be an opportunity to help students to articulate and express their passions and to use these to guide a decision making process, which in turn situates them at a college or university that is a great fit for their continued growth and development. The college admission process can be such a scary and fragile time for students and their families, and my approach is one of positivity and support. I prioritize helping students to realize their innate capacity to make sound and informed decisions, and I encourage them to engage with the process as one of discovery and excitement.

My years as an independent school college counselor began with eight years as a Director of College Counseling in Durham, North Carolina. It was through this work that I came to appreciate how the college process can be a way for a student to take a purposeful step toward articulating the future they desire. While working as a college counselor, I also maintained a presence in the classroom, teaching English (most often, American Literature to juniors), and I supported students in their leadership development as the Dean of Students. My family moved back to New England in 2014, and I took a role as the Associate Director of College Counseling at St. Mark’s School, a boarding-day high school outside of Boston, MA with a population of students from around the US and the world. At St. Mark’s, I also provided support for many recruited student-athletes at the Division I and Division III levels. I continued to teach English while also enjoying the world of boarding school responsibilities that included dorm duty. Most recently, I served as the Head of Upper School at the Moses Brown School, a pK-12 day school in Providence, Rhode Island. While there was much to love, I missed developing the connections with students that college counseling enables me to do, so during the pandemic, I left independent schools to focus on this important work. For the last three years, I’ve been overjoyed to work as an independent counselor, getting to know students and families from across the world and supporting them through this exciting project.

I am so happy to be a part of the College Goals team, where the work focuses on mentoring, motivating and celebrating students. It is our work to take a process that can be stressful and anxious and instead make one of joyful discovery and celebration, while simultaneously supporting all of the details and deadlines that can make the process more complex.

When I am not working with students and their families, researching schools, building college lists or reviewing essays, I can be found spending time with my family, baking, gardening, doing yoga, or walking my dogs around Providence, Rhode Island.

“Your guidance has always brought calm within the chaos that is college applications. You have been so patient and gracious with me, and I am so grateful. For all of the late nights of writing, early mornings of editing, thank you for always being there.”
Student, California

“Elise is a very special person and we were so lucky to have her guidance during our son’s college process, and he could not have achieved the results he did without her genuine and sincere mentorship and guidance.”
Parent, Kuwait

“You kept our daughter calm, focused and organized and in turn, we were calm, focused and organized. :)”
Parent, California